1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network printing apparatus, and more particularly, to a printing apparatus for printing data acquired by a digital broadcasting receiving apparatus or a personal computer (PC), connected to a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the start of BS (Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcasting, it has become necessary for digital television receiving apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as “DTV” or “DTV apparatus”) to process non-TV-program data (i.e., data other than TV-program data) upon receiving such data. It has become possible to acquire “print data” relating to TV-programs in the form of non-TV-program data by the DTV apparatus, and to produce paper copies based on the print data with a printer connectable to the DTV apparatus. Specific examples of the print data include recipes from cookery programs, tourist guides relating to travel programs, and the like.
While a user, namely, a viewer is watching a TV-program, print contents and a print button are displayed on the screen as and when necessary, and setting information such as paper size and number of sheets required is simultaneously displayed. In this state, the viewer refers to the display and presses the print button, and print data is then transmitted to the printer from the DTV apparatus and printing is carried out.
Although there may be a case where the viewer does not know the print contents on the DTV apparatus since the printing is carried out with the printer, the viewer is usually able to determine the print contents from what the program is associated with if the viewer is viewing the program, and the problem of printing unintended contents, or the like, can be prevented even in cases where the ultimate print contents cannot be ascertained.
When the printing with the printer is instructed, the DTV apparatus needs to be in connection with the printer, and the printer needs to be completely provided with paper, ink cartridges, and the like. If there is a problem in any of these items, then it is not possible to start printing. Furthermore, there are also cases where the user may wish to carry out printing later. In such cases, the print data is temporarily saved, and the printing is carried out after the preparations of the printer are completed.
However, if printing is carried out after temporarily saving the data, then as described above, there may be a case where the user does not know the print contents on the DTV apparatus, and there may be a case where the user cannot remember the print setting information having been displayed during the program, due to the passage of time. Consequently, tasks such as selecting the print objects may become difficult.
The following methods have been proposed in order to eliminate the above-described problems.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-158976 discloses a method in which the user is informed of the existence of print contents, information such as the paper required to print the contents is also notified to the user through the DTV apparatus, and the user is prompted to carry out the preparations necessary for the printing.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-158979 discloses a method in which a state of the printer is monitored through the DTV apparatus, and the user can be informed of progress of print processing or abnormal status of the print processing through the screen of the DTV apparatus.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-210408 discloses a method in which print contents are stored in association with captured image data of the display screen, and the print contents thus stored in a storage device is printed. In this method, the storage device is arranged in the DTV apparatus, and the printing operation is controlled by the DTV apparatus.
However, in the methods described in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002-158976, 2002-158979 and 2005-210408, the printing operation is controlled through the DTV apparatus or the status of the printer is displayed on the screen of DTV apparatus. Then, the user must travel between the DTV apparatus and the printer, and the task of printing, or the like, is inconvenient if the DTV apparatus and the printer are situated separately. Moreover, the DTV apparatus is originally intended for the purpose of enjoying moving pictures, and hence, if a message, such as a print error message, is unexpectedly displayed on the screen while the viewer is watching moving pictures, then the viewer will not be able to concentrate on viewing the moving pictures. Consequently, this obstructs the original object of viewing moving pictures for which the DTV apparatus is especially designed. Furthermore, in cases where a user wishes to perform printing and another user wishes to enjoy watching a program with the same DTV apparatus, there is a problem in that both of these wishes cannot be satisfied at the same time.